Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar mentioned Rishabh Pant isn’t underneath any stress by way of retaining his spot within the T20I squad whilst he highlighted that the wicketkeeper-batter can enhance in terms of shot-selection within the shortest format of the sport.
Rishabh Pant, in his first stint as India captain, helped India bounce again from 0-2 behind in a T20i collection in opposition to South Africa, which led to a 2-2 draw on Sunday. The closing T20i in Bengaluru was known as off after simply 21 balls because of persistent rain within the Southern Indian metropolis.
The highlight all through the collection was on Rishabh Pant because the star batter didn’t ship with the bat, managing simply 58 runs in 5 innings within the T20I collection. Pant bought out chasing large deliveries on a few events as he fell prey to South Africa’s plans constantly.
With the spot for the wicketkeeping slots for the T20 World Cup heating up after the comeback of Dinesh Karthik and the constant exhibiting of Ishan Kishan, questions are being requested of Pant’s place within the facet. The younger wicketkeeper, who has develop into an indispensable member of the Test facet, has been struggling for consistency within the shortest format of the sport, averaging solely 23 throughout 48 matches.
“I don’t think so. It’s still early days. There are plenty of T20 matches still ahead. There is a T20I series in England, there is a T20I series in West Indies. I don’t think there is going to be any pressure on him. He is not the kind of character who takes pressure, he goes out and enjoys his cricket. And that’s the mindset that has brought him success,” Gavaskar advised Star Sports.
“I will wait as there are still plenty of T20 matches before the World Cup. We can wait and then look at the form. We can decide anything but it’s up to the selectors to take the final call,” he added.
GAVASKAR LAUDS CAPTAIN PANT
Meanwhile, Gavaskar lauded Pant’s captaincy, saying the younger skipper discovered from errors rapidly. Pant’s bowling adjustments had been questioned within the first 2 T20is which India misplaced however the stand-in captain made a lot of the proper calls as India bounced again to make it 2-2.
“Very impressive, especially with the way he picked up from the first two matches where we felt it was not the right way to go as far as bowling changes are concerned. Clearly, he has learnt from the mistakes and rectified it. He has kept his cool. It’s not easy being a wicketkeeper and a captain. It’s a very tricky position to be in. He is learning and learning fast,” he added.
Pant won’t be a part of India’s T20I collection in Ireland because the wicketkeeper-batter will be a part of the Test specialists who’re coaching in London for the one-off Test in opposition to England, beginning July 1.
Pant conceded that he’s trying ahead to contributing extra to the group with the bat, particularly after atypical returns with the bat in the course of the Test collection final 12 months within the Old Blighty.
